Kansas Legislators Keep Eye on New Judicial Budget Lawsuit

Several Kansas lawmakers say they’re keeping an eye on the outcome of a new lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of a state law that deals with financing for the court system.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the lawsuit against the state of Kansas aims to strike the law linking funding of the entire judicial branch to the survival of a mandate that judges in each judicial district control appointment of their administrative chiefs.

The latest case follows a judge’s ruling in a different lawsuit that determined it was unconstitutional to shift the selection power away from the Kansas Supreme Court to the district court judges. The judge stayed his order pending an appeal.